Sheet delivering means in rotary presses



Nov. 28, 1950 E. J. JANKE 2,531,529

SHEET DELIVERING MEANS IN ROTARY PRESSES Original Filed April 29, 1944 3Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

17WA1PD I JAM E 6&5 v m 9 E n e A m mJ m Z .M m m a f Z fwd E. J. JANKESHEET DELIVERING MEANS IN ROTARY PRE$SES Nov. 28, 1950 Original FiledApril 29, 1944 Nov. 28, 1950 E. J. JANKE 2,531,629

SHEET DELIVERING MEANS IN ROTARY PRESSES Original Filed April 29, 1944 3Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Nov. 28, 1950 SHEET DELIVERING MEANS IN ROTARYPRESSES Edward J. Janke, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor toAddressograph-Multigraph Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation ofDelaware Original application April 29, 1944, Serial No.

533,276. Divided and this application September 15, 1945, Serial No.616,493

5 Claims.

are fed into the machine for printing. Another object is to providediverting means in the machine which while engaging the freshly printedface of the sheet will not injure the imprint there on.

In my parent application referred to, I show an ofiset printing machineoperating on the planographic principle, there being means for applyingliquid repellent and ink to a master sheet on an upper drum, the imageon the master sheet being then transferred to a yielding surface on atransfer drum beneath the master drum, and the impression being madebetween the transfer drum and a roller platen beneath it. The means forcontrolling and directing the printed sheet, as set out in thisapplication, is well adapted for embodiment in such an offset printingmachine as above outlined. Accordingly, I have shown in this divisionalapplication the sheet controlling mechanism embodied in such an offsetprinting machine but without intention of limiting the protection to anoffset machine.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an offset printingmachine to which my invention is applied; Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectionjust below the paper table, as indicated by the line 2-2 on Figs. 1 and3; Fig. 3 is a vertical section in a plane parallel with Fig. 1 and onan enlarged scale, the plane being indicated for instance by the line3-3 on Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a view of a portion of the offset drum showingparticularly the ejector bar carried thereby.

I will first give a general description of the machine illustrated inFigs. 1 and 3 before taking up the particular portion thereof with whichthe present invention is concerned.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 3, the frame of the machine shown comprises apair of parallel ver- 'tical side plates in, II suitably spaced fromeach other and braced as by cross rods, as [2. The frame is shown inFig. 1 as mounting on a suitablestand l3 which carries an operatingmotor I .for driving the machine. The drive is shown ,as. effectedthrough a belt I!!! which operates one 3 of the drums and the otherdrums are geared with Isuch driven drum.

Mounted on the frame plates Ill and H is an ink supply unit i l, thedetails of which are not shown but which has at least an ink supply rollI5 applying ink to an applicator roll IS. A distributor I l coacts withthe roll it to insure an even distribution of ink thereon. These rolls,together with the liquid repellent applicator roll l3, extend betweenand are mounted in the upper portions of the frame plates 10 and H.

The applicator rolls i8 and I6 apply liquid repellent and ink, in thatorder, to the surface of a flexible planographic printing plate 20 whichis mounted on the periphery of a plate drum 2|, rotatably mounted in theframe plates Ill and it immediately below the applicator rolls. Theinked image of the printing plate is transferred to a transfer blanket22 mounted on an offset drum 23, journaled in the frame plates.

The sheet or article to be printed is fed along a feed table 24 into thepass between this offset or transfer drum and a platen roll 25 (Fig.3)which is journaled in a bail 26 immediately below the transfer drum. 30designates a curved guide for directing the printed sheet around theplaten roll and between it and a coacting spring-pressed roll SI anddischarging it forwardly. The sheet thus passes between upper and lowercurved skeleton guides 49 and ti, carried by a removable receiving tray42. This tray is supported on suitable brackets 43 carried by the stand13.

As indicated in Fig. l, the shafts of the inkand repellent applicatorrolls l6 and l8 are mounted in inclined slots in the frame plates andbear against the inclined edges of a pair of individual 1y mounted camplates 50 which are slidably mounted on the outer faces of therespective frame plates. These cam plates are operated by the cams 5!,on opposite ends of a shaft 52, which coact with pins projectingoutwardly from the plates. The manipulation of this cam shaft may beeffected by a lever l I I, Fig. 2, which througha suitable linkagesystem, a part of which is shown at H7, and which serves to move therepellent roll from an idle position into contact with the master sheetand thereafter to move the :ink ap plying roll into such contact.

The plate drum 2! is best shown in Fig. 3. It comprises a cylinderhaving a gap and a suitable clamping means liflmounted in the gap forapply ing tension to the trailing end of the plate, and described indetail in my parent application. The leading endof the plate may beanchored to outwardly projecting pins 6| carried in an external recessin the drum. V

The master drum is bodily movable toward or from the transfer drum 23.This is readily effected by providing the shaft 55 carrying the masterdrum with eccentric end portions which project into bushings carried bythe frame plate. The machine is provided with a second operating leverH2 which by suitable linkage, a part of which is shown at M9, Fig. 2,turns the shaft. This lever by mechanism hereinafter explained alsocontrols the up-and-down position of the platen roller to cause it tocoact with the offset drum. or be free therefrom.

The transfer cylinder is provided with suitable means for fixedlyanchoring one end of the transfer blanket and. movable means forattaching the other end and properly tensioning it about the drum. Ihave shown hooks it on a bar II fixedly mounted within the drum forcarrying the leading end of the blanket, while 7 other hooks I on a barit, constituting the cross member of a bail pivotally mounted in thedrum engage the other end of the blanket and are tensioned by the screwsI8 threaded through the bar and coacting with a shoulder on the drum.

The two control levers III and IE2 are preferably located side by sideat the right hand side of the machine, as indicated in Fig. 2. should beunderstood that the lever Iii! may have an idle vertical position andtwo operative positions and operate the cam shaft 52 to apply first therepellent and then the ink without releasing the repellent application.The lever H2 also may have an idle vertical position and two operativepositions, one of which causes the engagement of the transfer drum withthe inked image and thereafter a movement into the other position mayraise the platen roller into engagement with the transfer drum,rendering the machine ready for printing. In its active position theplaten roll is spaced from the transfer blanket a distance slightly lessthan the thickness of the sheet to be printed, so that no offsetting onthe platen occurs in the absence of a sheet between them but they areable to impress the image on the sheet when presented.

The platen is a relatively small roll and is rotatably mounted on ashaft 39, the ends of which are mounted in respective levers whichtogether with the shaft form the platen roll bail 26. These levers arepivoted intermediate their ends as at 82 to the inner faces ofrespective frame plates and at their outer ends are bent inwardly as at83. These inwardly bent ends are each provided with a square opening toreceive the squared portion 84 of a respective rod 85 carried byrespective bars 85 forming part of the base 53 to which the machine issecured and projecting forwardly therefrom. A coil spring 81 surroundingthe rod between the portion 83 of the lever and a nut carried by thethreaded -upper end of the rod serves to move the platen r011 assemblyyieldingly toward the offset roll.

The rods 85 which support the platen roll spring assembly areresiliently maintained in position by second coil springs 88 which arein terposed between the bars 86 and shoulders 89 of the respective rodsand are stiffer than the springs 81. These springs 38 act to retain therods in their uppermost positions. An adjusting nut 90 carried by athreaded portion of each rod extending beneath the respective bar 86limits the upward movement of the rod and by varying the compression ofthe spring Bl controls the pressure of the platen roll.

After the plate, mounted on the plate drum, has been coated with liquidrepellent and then the ink applied, the plate is brought into contactwith the transfer blanket. After the drums have rotated sufficiently tocause the building up of the inked image on the transfer drum; the leverII2 is moved to raise the platen roll, as hereinafter described, intocooperation with the transfer drum, and the machine is then ready forprinting.

The raising of the platen roll is accomplished by moving the lever M2 toa position similar to that in which the lever III is shown in Fig. 1.When the lever H2 is in its vertical position shown in Fig. 2, a togglemechanism about to be described acts on the platen roll supporting arms25 to hold the platen out of contact with the transfer drum. Themovement of the lever to its intermediate position has no effect on thistoggle mechanism, but its movement to its farthest position breaks thetoggle and permits the springs B'I .to raise the platen into contactwith the transfer drum.

The toggle mechanism above mentioned is best illustrated in Fig. 3. Asthere shown, a pair of plates ll l substantially beneath the respectiveplaten-supporting arms 26 are journaled on the shaft I It to which thelever I I2 is pinned. These plates each carry a pin H5 which engages inthe upper ends of slots in respective links Ill which are pivotallyconnected as at II8 to the arms 26. When in the position shown in Fig.3, the pins I I 5 lie in a line drawn through the pivots H8 and the axisof the shaft H6, or slightly at the right thereof.

The toggle mechanism is actuated by pins I20 carried by respectivelevers I2I which are pinned to the shaft IIB. As the lever H2 is movedfrom its vertical position, the pins I20 move idly in enlarged openingsi22 in the toggle plates Ii l. However, as the lever M2 is moved to itsleft hand position the pins I28 engage the walls of the openings I22 andswing the toggle pins II 5 to the left thus breaking the toggle andpermitting the springs 8! to move the platen roller into contact withthe transfer drum.

It may be noted that mechanisms herein indicated but not claimed in thisapplication are more fully described in my parent application. Forinstance, Fig. 1 shows a pair of foot pedals I30 and I3I operatingthrough suitable linkage I32 and I33 and other mechanism not hereinshown to control the rotation of the printing members. One of thesepedals when held down is adapted to allow a continuous drive of themachine but when elevated will stop it at the end of any rotation. Theother pedal is adapted to stop the drum at the end of each half rotationwith the result that the attaching mem-'- bers for the master sheet maybe successively stopped in convenient position for removing or attachingthe sheet. This is of special value where the runs are comparativelyshort and the master sheet frequently changed.

Coming now to the particular portion of the machine with which thepresent invention is concerned, it will be understood that the sheets tobe printed are fed to the machine from the front, namely, the right handside of Fig. l, or the left hand side of Figs. 2 and 5, and aredischarged toward the side from which they are fed. The sheets are fed,one at a time, across the feed table 24 into the bite of the transferdrum and platen roller to receive the impression from the transfer drum,and are returned, printed, beneath such table, as about to be described.

Immediately after the sheet to be printed passes between the bite of thedrum 23 and the platen roller 25, it is stripped from the transferblanket and directed downwardly around the platen roller to the bite ofthe platen roller and an ejector roller which is positioned below theplaten and cooperates with it to feed the printed sheet forwardly. Thestripper mechanism is best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and comprises anejector bar I55 carried by the transfer drum "23, and stripping fingers3d curving about the platen, to direct the sheet downwardly andforwardly.

The ejector bar 1511 (Figs. 3 and 4) lies in the gap of the offset drumand is carried by a pair of arms 15! which are pivoted as at 552 to theends of the drum. Springs l53 interconnected between this bar and thedrum serve to maintain the ejector bar normally within the cylindricalconfines of the drum 23. However, im-

mediately after the sheet has passed between the drum and the platen, aroller I54 on one of the arms l5! engages a stationary cam formation I49carried by the frame plate It! and causes the bar we to force the sheetaway from the drum toward the set of stripper fingers 3E1.

The stripper fingers forming the guide 3!! complete the stripping of thesheet from the transfer drum 23 and guide it around the platen roller.These stripper fingers 3!! are carried by a bail I55 pivotally securedto the frame plates l and H as at I51. These fingers are spaced from andconform to the curvature of the platen roller. Springs E58 interposedbetween the ends of the bail I '5 and the respective frame plates retainthe bail in position against eccentric stops I59 on the frame plates,which by a partial rotation forms settable adjusting devices or settablestops defining the normal position of the guide 39. This mountingpermits the bail and stripper fingers to be swung away from the platenwhenever desired, the bail being provided with a handle I60 for thispurpose. This enables the ready removal for instance of any torn sheetor any sheet jammed from the feeding of more than one sheet at a time.

The arrangement described is such that the upper ends of the fingers areas close to the transfer drum as is practicable. Therefore, the ejectorbar 550 is in the nature of a comb, only the tines I48 of which projectout of the cylindrical confines of the drum and then only when theejector is actuated by the cam I49 these tines register laterally withthe spaces between the stripper fingers 30.

The stripper fingers guide the sheet around the platen into the bite ofthe platen and discharge roller 3!. This roller is preferably made of aresilient material such as a rubber composition and is journaled on arod I63 supported at its ends in arms H54. These arms are pivoted as atI65 to the respective frame plates and are engaged by springs E66 whichact to retain the ejector roller resiliently in contact with the platenroller.

The ejector roller 3! is so arranged as to avoid I injury to the freshlyprinted surface of the sheet being delivered. It is grooved as at 168 soas to present a series of spaced narrow ribs l6! V-shaped edges orV-shaped ridges having comparatively sharp annular edges to the freshlyand lower sets of curved tines 4H and 41. The tines of the lower set,which are secured to the rear edge of a receiving tray 42, project intothe grooves I68 of the discharge roller 3], thus insuring the strippingof the sheet from such roller. The tines of the upper set (carried by across bar 45 of a bail having arms 45 secured to the receiving tray 42)terminate close to the platen above the pass between the platen anddischarge roller.

It will be seen that the delivery arrangements enable the printed sheetto be positively diverted immediately after printing so that it comesunder control of the deflector stationarily held behind the platen, andthence between the platen and discharge roller, so that the sheet isdelivered face downward onto the receiving tray, which is veryconveniently carried in front of the operator beneath the table on whichthe operator places the sheets to be printed, one after the other. Themechanism is accordingly very compact and allows the operator at thefront of the machine to keep track of the printed product, and, shouldoccasion require, inspect the same by merely inverting the lastdelivered sheet. Moreover by employing the specially formed dischargeroller coacting directly with the platen under light spring pressure, Ieffect the forward feed of the printed sheet without injury to theprinted image. The spring mount ing of the discharge roller enables itto move readily up and down slightly when the platen roller is shiftedby the controllever heretofore mentioned, and accordingly is alwaysready for action. The pivotal mounting of the deflector enables readyaccess to the back of the platen for the removal of any sheetinadvertently buckling or jamming in its travel.

I claim:

1. The combination with a pair of upright frame plates of a printingdrum and a roller platen carried by and between the frame plates, adiverting roller engaging the platen, and a deflector cooperating withthe platen between the drum and roller, said deflector comprising a bailpivoted to the frame plates and carrying upwardly extending forwardlycurved fingers at the rear of the platen, adjustable stops carried bythe frame plates to engage the bail and limit the approach of thefingers to the platen, and a spring normally holding the bail againstthe adjustable stops while allowing the deflector to be swung away fromthe platen.

2. The combination of a frame, a drum rotatably mounted therein andadapted to carry an image, a roller platen beneath the drum, a dischargeroller adapted to coact with the platen, a series of spaced guidefingers at the rear of the platen to direct the printed sheet from thedischarge region between the drum and platen to the intake regionbetween the platen and discharge roller, said guide fingers beingpivotally mounted on the frame, a comb on the drum having teeth adaptedto register with the spaces between the guide fingers, and means toforce the comb outwardly to force the printed sheet into the regionbetween the platen and guide fingers.

3. In a printing machine, a frame, a drum rotatably mounted therein andadapted to carry an image to be transferred to a sheet to be printed, aroller platen beneath the drum, resilient means acting to urge theplaten toward the drum, a substantially horizontal feed table acrosswhich sheets are fed one at a time to the bite of the drum and platen, areceptacle mounted substantially below said feed table to receiveprinted sheets, means to divert printed sheets from said bite to saidreceptacle one atop the other with the printed surface facing downwardwhereby when a group of stacks are removed from the receptacle andinverted the sheets will be in the order of their impression with theprinted surface of the first sheet printed on top, said means comprisinga diverting roller mounted beneath the platen roller, a resilient meansto retain said roller in contact with the platen roller, an arcuatedeflector plate having a surface spaced from but substantially parallelwith the face of the platen and extending a point adjacent said bite toa point adjacent the bite of the diverting roller and platen and at theside of the platen substantially opposite that to which sheets are fed.

4. In a printing machine, a frame, a printing drum, a roller platenbeneath the drum, said drum and platen being mounted for rotation insaid frame, a substantially horizontal feed table across which sheetsare fed one at a time to the bite of the drum and platen, a receptacl toreceive printed sheets, said receptacle being mounted substantiallybelow said feed table, means to divert the printed sheets from said biteto said receptacle with their printed face down whereby when a stack ofprinted sheets is moved from the receptacle and the stack inverted, theprinted face of the first sheet printed will be on top of the stack,said means comprising a diverter roller mounted beneath the platenroller, resilient means to retain said roller in contact with the platenroller, an arcuate deflector plate havin a surface spaced from butsubstantially parallel with the platen roller and extendin from saidbite toward the bite of the platen and diverter roller, means on thedrum to force a freshly printed sheet into the space between the platenand deflector whereby the sheet will be guided by the deflector into thebite of the platen and diverter rollers, and means to guide the sheetfrom the bite of the platen and diverter rollers into the receivingreceptacle.

5. In a printing machine, a printing drum, a roller platen mountedbeneath said drum and coacting therewith, a feed table across whichsheets are fed one at a time to the bite of the drum and platen, areceiving table mounted substantially below said feed table, means todivert printed sheets to said receiving table with their printedsurfaces facing downward whereby when a stack of sheets is removed andinverted, the first sheet printed will be on top of the stack with itsprinted surface facing upward, said means comprising a, diverter rollermounted beneath the platen roller and coacting therewith, an arcuatedeflector plate having a surface spaced from but substantially parallelwith the surface of the platen and extending substantially from the biteof the drum and platen to a point adjacent the bite of the platen anddiverter rollers, said platen being pivotally mounted to enable itsupper end to be swung away from the bite of said platen and drum,resilient means tending to swing said diverter toward said bite, andadjustable means to limit said swinging movement.

EDWARD J. JANKE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 697,173 Roesen Apr. 8, 19021,317,486 Flanigan Sept. 30, 1919 1,318,337 Wood Oct. 7, 1919 1,534,885Trautman Apr. 21, 1925 1,695,649 Giesecke Dec. 18, 1928 1,863,709 BeallJune 21, 1932 1,972,851 McCarthy Sept. 4, 1934 2,012,105 Marchev Aug.20, 1935 2,075,950 Marchev Apr. 6, 1937 2,172,113 Storck Sept. 5, 19392,175,667 Marchev Oct. 10, 1939 2,212,659 Costello Aug. 27, 19402,249,313 Kropp July 15, 1941 2,253,446 Spiess Aug. 19, 1941 2,260,465Kropp Oct. 28, 1941 2,389,848 Gibson Nov. 27, 1945

